Star Wars: Anakin Skywalker Actor Teases a Return to the Franchise

Star Wars fans were first introduced to actor Matt Lanter's take on Anakin Skywalker when he voiced the Jedi in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and while the series officially concluded last year, Lanter recently admitted that his time as Skywalker isn't as over as some audiences might have expected. The actor didn't, however, reveal whether an upcoming project could be another animated appearance of Anakin or possibly a video game project, but we can surely expect more of his memorable take on the conflicted hero. Fans will also see another Anakin Skywalker return in the near future, as prequel actor Hayden Christensen is confirmed to be appearing in the upcoming Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"There's some new Lucasfilm Animation going on. I've been a part of some things I can't talk about yet. You'll see Anakin again," Lanter confirmed to Entertainment Weekly. "I never quite put Anakin down, whether I'm doing a video game or something new for Lucasfilm Animation."

Given that the Clone Wars spinoff Star Wars: The Bad Batch is debuting imminently, most fans are expecting Anakin to appear, especially after this tease, but the nature of the spinoff might mean the titular group of characters might entirely deviate from what we saw unfold in Clone Wars.

Knowing that Lanter was absent from the franchise for years following the unexpected cancellation of Clone Wars, getting to hear him reprise the role in last year's final season of the series was a relief not only to fans, but also to the actor himself.

"[The series finale] didn't come as much of a shock as that first time because that first time we felt like we didn't get to finish," Lanter admitted. "Now, we properly got to finish. We got to send off the show in an emotional way in the way that [creator] Dave [Filoni] wanted to send it off. I actually think it was really cool that it premiered when everyone's spirits were down [because of the pandemic]. For Star Wars fans, it was exciting to have something new. I think it lifted everyone up a bit."

Stay tuned for details on Anakin Skywalker's future before Star Wars: The Bad Batch debuts on Disney+ on May 4th. Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is expected to debut on the streaming service next year.

Are you looking forward to more of Lanter's Anakin? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!